


The Old Men and the Sea

by AkitoAnemone



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, and then pretty fluffy, gonna get a little angsty probably, minor edits may happen after work is complete, they're not really that old
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 05:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4251693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkitoAnemone/pseuds/AkitoAnemone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A girl at the front desk glanced his way upon entry, and then perked up. “You’re new!” she said immediately, with a smile, her very-blue eyes shining. “Welcome to the Umida Village hotel, apartment complex, and visitor’s center. Not only are we the best, but we’re also the only! How can I help you?” She looked very young, probably seven at the oldest, and twirled a light brown ponytail around her finger as she spoke what sounded like a well-rehearsed line.</p>
<p>“I’m, uh, supposed to be moving in?” His landlady had said she’d meet him when he arrived, and unless he was sorely mistaken, the little girl was definitely not her. “My name is Makoto...Tachibana Makoto.”</p>
<p>(Or, after a long stint in Tokyo, Makoto moves away to take a job in a small village. This story is not about that job.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know I've said this before about other things, but I'm way ahead on this one and it will get finished like within the month. I'm really excited about this one, guys!

“Congrats on the new job, Tachibana!” The chorus of his former co-worker’s voices rang out as they clinked glasses after Makoto’s last day.

It was bittersweet--he’d gotten the job as a coach at one of the biggest swim clubs in Tokyo right out of college, miraculously, via a connection through Coach Sasabe. From day one, he’d loved working there. Coaching the younger kids had been his favourite at first, but after nearly eight years, he just loved coaching in general, especially watching the kids he taught grow and get better with age.

But even after ten years, Makoto still didn’t feel that Tokyo was his home. He’d thought about returning to Iwatobi to coach there, and even though his old coach would have loved to have him, Makoto really kind of wanted to go somewhere new.

From his boss, he’d heard about a small swim club in between a few villages near the coast. They needed some help getting started and gathering students, and Makoto, according to his boss, seemed like a perfect fit for the job, especially since he’d been seeming more and more done with Tokyo by the day. It seemed pretty good. He’d found an apartment in the village closest to the ocean, and the landlady seemed excited to have a new tenant.

He’d sent most of his stuff already, with just a few more bags to take with him in the morning, leaving plenty of time for his co-workers to throw him a good-bye party. “Man, I just can’t believe you’re leaving Tokyo to go back to the middle of nowhere. I could never imagine leaving.”

“It’s been fun, but this just isn’t where I see myself long term,” Makoto shrugged and took a drink from his glass. During his college years, he hadn’t been much of a drinker, and he wasn’t exactly sure when he even started liking beer. His best guess was sometime during the couple of years when Nagisa lived in Tokyo. He took another drink, finishing off the glass. “I’m sure I’ll visit sometime.”

He left the bar with no regrets, ready to board the train in the morning and open up a new chapter of his life. Though he had a lot of friends in Tokyo, Makoto couldn’t say that he was particularly close to anyone. All of his close friends had become world travelers; Rin and Sosuke were still in Australia, Rei was working on a project in America, and Nagisa was, well, hard to keep track of.

And Haru…

Last Makoto had heard, Haru was still in Japan. He’d decided halfway through their second year of college that, no, he did not want to be a professional swimmer, and left suddenly after that. Makoto knew it must have been hard for him. He’d been so set after so much deliberation, and it just hadn’t worked out--leaving so suddenly was like ripping off a band-aid, the quicker, the better.

They’d kept in contact quite a while, but it just got more and more difficult. Haru was still as bad with his phone as ever, and it didn’t help that Makoto was still in Tokyo, living out his dreams, when Haru suddenly didn’t have anything anymore.

As much as he didn’t like to think about it, part of the reason Makoto wanted to leave stemmed from all the way back then. He couldn’t help but still be bitter that Tokyo had pretty much crushed his best friend.

Or...childhood friend. It had been years since Makoto last heard from Haru, though he still sent birthday and holiday texts. Haru had probably changed his number a while back.

But it was okay. It was just fine. Makoto was starting fresh, still hoping that they would someday meet again, but leaving Tokyo behind him. He was ready.

* * *

 

After a sleepless night, a nearly-missed train, and a half hour’s walk from the bus stop, Makoto was glad he’d been so ready the night before, because he never wanted to go through anything like that trip ever again. He told himself that after getting unpacked, the absolute first thing on his agenda would be to buy himself a car. Since he hadn’t needed anything like that in Tokyo, he’d had enough in savings, especially since his rent would be so much lower in his new little village.

Makoto picked up his bags once again after a quick break for the last bit of his trek. He could see the building just down the street--an older, Japanese style apartment complex. It looked nice enough on the outside, and the village as a whole seemed to fit the style. There were a few houses scattered on the sides of the main road, along with a couple of tiny shops. A couple of side roads branched off, leading to a few other, more run down looking buildings, and from where he stood, Makoto could see a longer, winding road that looked like it headed straight towards the ocean. He hoped he could get a walk down there in before dinner.

He reached the complex in seemingly no time, and read the sign out front--Welcome to Umida Village Hotel, Apartment Complex, and Visitor’s Center--before heading inside.

A girl at the front desk glanced his way upon entry, and then perked up. “You’re new!” she said immediately, with a smile, her very-blue eyes shining. “Welcome to the Umida Village hotel, apartment complex, and visitor’s center. Not only are we the best, but we’re also the only! How can I help you?” She looked very young, probably seven at the oldest, and twirled a light brown ponytail around her finger as she spoke what sounded like a well-rehearsed line.

“I’m, uh, supposed to be moving in?” His landlady had said she’d meet him when he arrived, and unless he was sorely mistaken, the little girl was definitely not her. “My name is Makoto...Tachibana Makoto.”

“Oh, right! Granny said you’d be coming today. I’ll be right back.” The girl darted away before Makoto could say anything else.

He looked around the room while he waited.The building looked nicer on the inside than it had on the out, like it had been redone at least relatively recently, though it was sparsely decorated save for a sad-looking plant and a single painting on a wall. There were three exits from the main room, a staircase and a hallway that presumably led to the apartments, and a door behind the counter where the girl had disappeared out of. There wasn’t much to occupy himself with, so Makoto stood, luggage awkwardly leaning against his leg, as the time wore on and on.

“Sorry!” A woman, not as old as Makoto had imagined his landlady to be, rushed in with the girl trailing behind, holding a small dog. “The dog had to be walked, and I was already halfway to the ocean! I wasn’t expecting you for an hour or so still. I’m Junko”

“Makoto Tachibana,” he said, handing her his paperwork while she grabbed a key from beneath the counter.

“You’ll be the only permanent tenant. I have a few others who come and go with the wind and some who are here just for the summer,” she said, leading Makoto down the hallway on the first floor. “When I do have permanent tenants, I usually make dinner for everyone, so you’re welcome to eat with me if you wish.” She winked. “Oh, and I hope you don’t mind the dog. I would have warned you, but I just got him actually--well, Hikaru found him, and I figured we could keep him here. I wanted the company, you now?”

She walked with a spring in her step, and Makoto couldn’t help but brightening up from his previously watered down by travel mood. “No, it’s great. I love animals. And I’d love to stay for dinner, if the offer applies to tonight--I haven’t had a good meal in a while.”

“Great!” They were stopped in front of a door, about halfway down the hallway, while Junko unlocked it. “This is the biggest room. If you’d rather be closer to the end of the hall, though, that’s fine by me.”

“No, I’m sure this is fine. Thank you,” he said, taking the key and heading inside. It was just as she said--big. Much bigger than he had expected, and like the entryway had been, recently redone. He set his luggage down in the middle of the room next to other boxes of stuff that had already been delivered.

“Fantastic. Well, then I’ll give you some time to settle in. Dinner should be ready soon.”

After Junko left, Makoto took some time to himself, absorbing his new surroundings. The small apartment was nice, with a small kitchen attached to the living area, and two doors to the bedroom and bathroom off to the side. He knew that unpacking would be a process; when he moved out into his permanent Tokyo apartment, it had taken him almost a year before he’d completely unpacked, even though he hadn’t had much stuff in the first place. Since then, he’d only accumulated more stuff, and he could only imagine how long it would take this time.

Oh well. He didn’t have to start doing anything big yet. Maybe just the essentials, Makoto thought to himself, digging through a box labeled ‘bedroom’ and pulling out the first sheets and pillows that he saw. After putting them on the bed, he sat down, just for a little rest. It had been quite a long day, after all.

What only felt like a moment later, Makoto was waking up to soft knocking at the front door. He rushed out quickly and opened it to find the girl standing there. “Dinner’s ready!” she said, and immediately started giggling. “Your hair’s sticking up all funny. Were you napping?”

“Yeah, I must have fallen asleep.” She had a small smirk on her face. “I’ve had a long day, you know. I’ll be out in a second.”

“Okay. Just go through the door behind the counter and take a left.”

After fixing his hair, Makoto followed the directions as told and found himself in a small kitchen/ dining area. Junko and the girl were already seated and eating, and Junko pointed to the counter. “Feel free to help yourself.”

He did. The food looked almost better than what his mom made when he went home, and it was definitely better than anything he’d made himself in recent years. He sat himself down across from the girl and next to Junko and started eating immediately. “It’s delicious!” he said.

Junko smiled. “I’m glad you like it. Hikaru usually has something to complain about,” she said, glancing over at the girl.

“No, it’s good today. I bet you just made it better because he’s new.” She shrugged and looked at Makoto. “Trust me, in a week, she’ll be telling you to just heat up leftovers.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t mind that either. Pretty much anything is better than my own cooking.”

“You could learn a lesson from him, Hikaru,” Junko said, sticking her tongue out at the girl. Hikaru responded with the same gesture.

“So is Hikaru your…granddaughter?” Makoto didn’t mean to dig too deep into anything personal so quickly, but Junko hadn’t mentioned anyone else living with her. She’d said she’d forgotten the dog, but Makoto didn’t think she’d forget to mention a whole other person, and Hikaru had called her Granny when he’d first arrived.

“Oh, no, no. I’m more like her babysitter. Or adoptive grandmother, but there’s no blood relation. I don’t have any kids.”

“I live with my daddy down right by the ocean, but he’s busy a lot, so I like to help Granny out around here. I don’t know why I always stay for dinner, though; daddy’s cooking is so much better.”

This time, Junko gave her a soft swat to the back of the head. “Yes, I’m so grateful for her. Digging up the flowers, breaking the toilet, begging me to keep that dog around… she’s such a big help.”

“You told me to pull the weeds, and that’s what those flowers looked like. And daddy said he’d pay you back for the toilet.”

“He never told me that…I haven’t heard anything from your dad in weeks. I told you to tell him to come over for dinner one of these days.”

Hikaru shrugged. “He’s doing a big project now.” Junko gave her a look, and Makoto could tell there was something more behind it. He looked down at his plate, very interested in the exact color of his chicken. “He still makes me breakfast every morning and tucks me in at night. He’s just busy during the day.”

“I know…and I trust you’d tell me if something was wrong, but I worry about you both. You know how he is.”

She pushed her food around her plate. “We’re fine.”

“I know.” A soft smile spread over her face. “How about I send a pie home for you and your daddy to share? I made your favorite.”

“Okay!” Hikaru perked up instantly in true kid fashion, and Makoto was finally able to let himself look like he was paying attention once again. “I should go home soon, anyway—it’s starting to get dark.” She sprang out of her seat to collect her things from another room, the small dog trotting behind.

“Makoto, why don’t you walk Hikaru back home? I know you were excited to see the ocean, so she can show you how to get there. And you have my number in case you get lost.”

Makoto nodded and stood up with his plate, but Junko shook her head and said she’d clear the table herself. “Alright, then I just have to get my phone. I’ll be right back.”

He found his phone on top of the dresser in his room, where he must have put it before dressing the bed. There was an email from Rin, and a few texts from Nagisa asking if he’d safely arrived at his new place of residence. He tapped out a quick reply on his way back to the lobby of the building where Hikaru was waiting.

I made it fine. You should come visit if you’re ever nearby--it seems like a really peaceful town.

“Granny said you’re excited about seeing the ocean,” she said before Makoto had even looked up. “I’ll take you down there.”

“If it’s out of your way I can always go find it myself tomorrow.”

“No, my house really is right on the beach,” she said. They left the building and Hikaru took off, speed walking in front of Makoto. “It’s really pretty at sunset--I wonder if we can get there before then.”

Makoto did his best to keep up with the girl, which wasn’t too hard as she was so much smaller than he was. He absorbed his surroundings as much as he could as they walked, and was reminded so much of Iwatobi, from the traditional style houses to the small shops and friendly looking people. And then of course there was the ocean coming into view in the distance. Though he’d been close to it in Tokyo, too, it wasn’t the same. He wasn’t close enough, and the buildings were too tall to offer the view that he had loved in his hometown.

Hikaru didn’t even say anything when they had reached it, rather she just stopped, leaving Makoto to stop behind her and look forward instead of around. “Oh,” he said softly, taking in the sight. He felt like he was home; like he was a teenager again, following behind an excited Haru to the water. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah. Daddy comes out here a lot and just sits with his feet in the water and watches it...” She pointed to a house a few yards away right on the edge of the sand. “That’s my house. You should come visit sometime. If you like the beach this much, too, I’m sure daddy would love to meet you.” She turned towards her house, swinging the bag that the pie was in by her side. “I think he really needs a friend.” Facing Makoto once again, she waved and smiled brightly. “Good night, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Makoto walked farther towards the ocean and sat down, pulling out his phone. He thought that with Tokyo gone, he could for even one day stop thinking about Haru. Going back to the ocean, though, that was a foolish thing to do. Haru was tied to the ocean at his very core; Makoto knew that. It was part of the reason he was drawn to the ocean. Honestly, he still didn’t like it much on its own. The bad memories were still there, and Haru lived alongside all of the good.

After much deliberation, he typed out a text to a number that even after so much time he couldn’t forget.

It’s Makoto. As usual, I don’t think this is even your number anymore, but…  
I moved away from Tokyo, and I’m sitting on a beach, and I miss you. I miss you so much, Haru. I wish I could just meet with you once more. I just want to know that you’re well. So if by some miracle you do get this, I have the same number as always.

He sighed and hit send. If he had even looked over the message once, he probably would have lost the courage and just deleted the whole thing. After another sigh, Makoto stood up and dusted off his pants before turning in the direction he thought was the correct way back.

It only took three wrong turns before Makoto found the apartment building once again. Junko was waiting for him at the front desk, phone in hand. “Five more minutes and I was ready to call.”

“Sorry,” he said, smiling. “I sat on the beach for a while and then explored some more on my way back.”

Junko nodded and with a wave led Makoto back into the kitchen, tea cups already on the table. “Did you get to meet Hikaru’s dad, or was he still working?”

He shook his head. “She didn’t invite me in, though she said we should meet sometime.”

The tea was poured, and Junko sat across from Makoto. “You can ask questions, you know. It’s fine. We’re such a small community anyway, there’s no use in having secrets.” She took a drink, drumming her fingers against the table. “Almost seven years ago now, that man showed up with a baby, a suitcase, some money, and an obviously broken spirit. They lived here for a week or so until he found that house, and ever since I’ve been practically raising that child. When Hikaru was little, he used to walk her over in the mornings and pick her up before dinner; sometimes they’d go home, sometimes they’d both stay and eat. But since she’s been old enough to get herself to and from school, she’s gotten herself here and back, too. I’ve seen him less and less since then.”

“That seems kind of…odd, doesn’t it? Hikaru said things were fine, but she’s too young to really know, isn’t she?” Makoto still felt like it wasn’t his business, but if Junko was talking…

“I trust her enough, but I watch her closely, too. Any sign on that girl of anything going on and I’ll storm over. I have half a mind to go over there anyway just to make sure he’s taking care of himself, too.” She got up to pour Makoto another cup, before warming her own. “I’m just glad Hikaru doesn’t seem to be taking after him, besides the stubbornness, but that’s natural in kids her age anyway. She doesn’t even look like him, save for those blue eyes.”

“Does he even have a job? Well, I guess he must. Hikaru said he was working on a big project?”

“He’s an artist, an apparently successful one at that, but the type to get a bit too into his work, I think.”


	2. Part 2

The slamming door caused Haru to jolt out of his state of focus, and he looked around. Since when had it gotten dark? Had he eaten lunch? “Kari?” He called out, hearing the small footsteps of his daughter running towards his room. He gave his painting a once over before she arrived and sighed. It still wasn’t shaping up to be how he wanted it, but he couldn’t waste another canvas this big. It would have to do.

 

“Daddy! Granny baked us a pie”

Hikaru was suddenly just to the side of him, holding up the bag. “Oh, that’s great. Did you eat?” He patted the girl’s head and made his way towards the kitchen, Hikaru close behind.

“I did! I bet you didn’t, though. It looked like the painting was eating you.” She said that a lot, he noticed, and it probably went back all the way to the first time Junko had told him he was consumed by his work, and Hikaru had asked what that meant, and…

“It wasn’t. I was just finishing up for the day.” Haru opened the fridge to pull out some fish, and he heard Hikaru slide onto a stool and put the pie on the counter. “Why don’t you cut us some pieces of that?”

“Okay! But you don’t get to eat it until after you’ve finished your dinner,” she said. Haru grunted in response. “Oh! The new neighbor moved in today. He walked me home so I could show him to the beach. He really loves it daddy; you should meet him sometime.”

The sudden silence was filled with the familiar sizzling of the cooking fish. “Really now?”

“Yeah. He looked at the ocean like you do,” she said, pausing only so she could finally eat some pie. Haru hadn’t become any more talkative since his teenage years, much preferring to let his daughter say everything she thought needed to be said, offering comments when needed. “And granny wants you to come for dinner again soon. She said you haven’t called her about the toilet yet. And you could meet him there, too. He’s really nice, daddy.”

Haru plated his fish and sat in his usual seat across from Hikaru. “When I’m finished.”

“But that could be forever.” She pouted. “Just take a break. It’s been weeks since you started it, and you’ve restarted four times already.”

He looked at his daughter, not realizing she would have noticed. Though, really, it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Children were always smarter than people gave them credit for. “Even more reason to finish.”

“Daddy! Oh?” The little girl’s attention shifted towards the cluttered end of the counter. “Your phone is blinking.”

“Really?” Haru was sure he’d shut his work phone off and stuck it in a drawer after a rather tedious call from an organizer of one of his exhibits, but the phone Hikaru handed him wasn’t his work phone. “Oh.”

The old, beat up phone he’d had since high school somehow still worked okay, though not for anything other than texting or calling, not that he did anything else with it, anyway. It also no longer made a sound when it rang, and only had about five minutes of battery life, which was why Haru always kept it plugged in in the kitchen, normally buried under five or so pounds of random stuff. It had just always been easier to keep the same phone and number for the rare occasion his mom or someone called, though email was the easiest of all.

Normally, he checked it every few weeks or so when he happened to remember and was always happy to be greeted with the usual couple of spam texts and nothing else. He flipped it open, not entirely surprised to see Makoto’s name on the screen. This text, however, was longer than his usual birthday or holiday greetings.

“Kari,” Haru said as the girl finished her slice of pie. He had a feeling in his stomach that he could only describe as some sort of slight nausea. But it couldn’t be. Then again, it was too much of a coincidence for it to really be anything else. “What’s the new tenant's name?”

“Oh, didn’t I say? His name’s Makoto. I don’t remember his last name, though, but he doesn’t really seem to care about…”

Haru zoned out, thoughts suddenly racing. It wasn’t like he was purposely trying to ignore all of Makoto’s attempts at contact over the years, but... Well, okay, he kind of was, but he thought it was understandable. Tokyo had been hard on him, and after that, life had sort of kicked his ass, and he couldn’t face Makoto then.

He didn’t think he could face Makoto even now.

“Daddy! You’re not listening!” Haru snapped back to reality, and Hikaru laughed at what must have been the funny look on his face. “You didn’t even finish your pie. Can I have it?”

“Sorry. I wasn’t.” Blunt as he ever was, Haru tried to never lie to his daughter. “Could you please repeat?” He pushed the rest of his pie across the counter--a little extra wouldn’t hurt.

“No, it’s your fault you weren’t listening to me,” she said, taking a bite. “You’ll just have to come to dinner and meet him for yourself.”

“Kari, I really can’t. Not until I finish.”

“Daddy, you’re making excuses,” she said in a sing-song voice. “You can take a break. It’ll still be there later.”

He knew there was no way out of it. If he didn't give Kari the satisfaction of agreeing to go now, Junko would just come and drag him out of the house later. She tried to stay out of their business as much as possible, but it had been a really long time since she'd last checked in on him. She wouldn't hesitate. “Would Friday be okay?” He asked, sealing himself to his fate, anxiety already crawling into his system.

Hikaru smiled and nodded. “It would be perfect!”

* * *

 

He’d tried to hold back thinking about it--after the conversation about attending dinner was settled, Kari had turned the conversation to her usual topics, school, friends, and the dog she’d said Junko had gotten. But after she’d gone to bed, there was nothing holding the dam up any longer and felt his thoughts start running while he took a bath.

Haruka had left Tokyo, dreams crushed, ten years ago without any sort of plan. Even then, as he always had been, Makoto was supportive. They continued to communicate like they always had for a year or two after, but the distance made it difficult, and since Haru had no results to show while Makoto was doing so well he felt like more of a failure than before. In his usual fashion, this time with nothing to stop him, he just ran away.

He couldn’t run anymore. Of course, there was still the small chance that this was some crazy coincidence and the new tenant was a completely different Makoto, but it wasn’t likely. The more Haru thought about it, the more he really wanted to see Makoto again and maybe explain himself and fix things. Maybe even reestablish something of the friendship they once had.

It was scary, but it was a reality he was going to have to face. The dinner, of course, would be near impossible to get out of, especially since it had been so long. Junko was probably unnecessarily worried about him again.

Haru stepped out of the tub and looked in the mirror, still dripping wet. He had definitely changed over the past ten years, though it was in appearance more so than personality. He was still thin, but most of his muscle had faded away years before. Of course, he still loved swimming, but he usually only got a good swim in once a week, twice if he was really lucky. He’d started wearing glasses three years prior. His mom had always said it would come with age--everyone in the family had poor eyesight, and Haru turned out to be no exception to that rule.

It seemed that Haru could escape none of the bad family genetics, as at only twenty, his hair had started to turn grey. At first, he’d thought it was just from the stress of leaving Tokyo, but if it was, calming down hadn’t changed anything. By twenty five, there was almost no sign of the colour he once had, just light and dark grey salt-and-pepper hair. For ease, he’d also decided to keep his hair shorter, in what Junko affectionately referred to as the dad cut.

Even Rin, who he’d seen a few times in the past ten years, had said that he was hardly recognizable from the person he’d once been. “Until you open your mouth,” he’d made a point to add afterward.

It was true, though. Haru scrunched his face up a few times, trying to fit his college image over the way he looked now.

Maybe talking to Rin would be a good idea. The idea of seeing Makoto again, especially with so little notice, hadn’t even crossed his mind before, and he was slowly realizing that it was freaking him out more than just a little bit. Rin had kept in contact with the both of them--he could certainly help ease some of Haru’s worries.

After drying off some and putting on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, Haru retrieved his work phone from the drawer he’d shoved it in earlier--talking to Rin was considered work enough--and dialed the familiar number. When he didn’t answer the first time, Haru tried again, and again.

On the fifth try, Rin picked up.

“Haru, what the fuck.”

“Rin.”

“It’s 4am.”

Haru glanced at the clock. He hadn’t realized he’d been in the bath so long. Or had he spent most of his time looking in the mirror? Quickly, he explained about the text and his worries about seeing Makoto again at the dinner. By the end of it all, Rin was definitely awake.

“You’re worried he won’t...recognise you? Haru that’s ridiculous. You were friends for almost twenty years.”

“But I look different.”

“Haru, even if he doesn’t recognise you right away, you’ll re-introduce yourself and he’ll realize soon enough. If you ask me, you’ve got an even bigger problem than that on your hands.”

“What?”

“Well, I’m the only one you kept in contact with, right? I talk to everyone else regularly, but it’s not like I share your business or anything.”

“Point?”

“Kari, Haru.”

“What about her?”  
  


Haru heard Rin scoff over the phone. “What do you mean ‘What about her?’ She’s your daughter! You said Makoto knows her, but he doesn’t know she’s yours. Forget your appearance, you have a whole ten years of life that Makoto doesn’t know about! You made an entire new person!”

“Oh.”

“What do you mean ‘Oh’?!”

“She’s just here all the time...I didn’t even think about her being an issue anymore.”

Rin paused a moment, and Haru could almost hear him thinking. “Don’t say issue. She’s not one now and she’s never been one before. Makoto’s just gonna be surprised is all. None of us ever thought you’d be the one getting married and having kids--Makoto least of all.”

“As I shouldn’t have been,” Haru said, and Rin paused again. Sometimes Haru was comfortable with talking about his past, and sometimes it got a bit dangerous. Haru himself didn’t even know how he was feeling about it at the moment, so a change of topic seemed like a good idea. “Do you know if Makoto--”

“He’s single as he’s ever been.” Rin jumped at the topic change. “Last I talked to him, anyway, but with the move and all, I don’t think that would have changed.” He sighed. “You know, I’ve had half a mind to drag you back out to Australia with me. Sousuke could watch Kari for a while--you know how much she loves seeing him, and we could hit the town. Have some friendly races, go clubbing…”

“I’m not going clubbing.”

“I know some good places, Haru. Maybe you could even find someone to have some fun with.”

“I’m definitely not going to any gay clubs with you, Rin. You’re not even gay.”

“Yeah, but you are, and Sousuke says I make a pretty good wing-man. But anyway, if you won't go with me, you'll come here and go by yourself?”

“I'm not going to any clubs! Why are you even talking about this?”

“Because! I’ve had half a mind to drag you back here, and I probably would have eventually had you not just told me you’re gonna see Makoto again. This is going to be great for you, Haru! If you’re hardly ever going to leave that goddamn town, you might at least have a friend there with you.”

This time it was Haru’s turn for a moment of silence. He didn’t want to ask directly--it wasn’t in his character to think about these sorts of things normally, but when it had to do with Makoto… “Rin, what if...he doesn’t want to be friends?”

“Then I’ll fly over there and beat him up personally. You’ve changed more than he has, and that’s saying something, because under your exterior, you’re still as bland as ever. He wouldn’t have sent you that text if he didn’t miss you. When’s the dinner again?”

“Friday.”

“I can give him a heads up if you want? Nothing with too much detail, but God, Haru, it hurts me every time I talk to him about old times and what Rei and Nagisa are up to, and I can never talk about you. He’s never asked, but I’m pretty sure he knows we still talk, and I can’t imagine how that feels. Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be a little mad, but he’ll be more relieved than anything that you’re doing alright.”

**  
**Haru closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Do what you want.”


	3. Part 3

Makoto’s first few days of work passed without incident. The kids were great, the other coaches were great, and his new boss was so happy he was there. It was more than he could have asked for in a new job. Really, the only downside was the commute: fifteen minutes to the bus stop followed by a forty-five minute bus ride, but the scenery along the way was so beautiful that it hardly even mattered. 

Besides, if he had moved closer, he wouldn’t have gotten to live in such a great apartment building. Junko cooked fantastic meals almost every day, and when she didn’t, leftovers were just as good. And even though Makoto was with kids all day at work, Hikaru was such a joy to be around. Since he had so much free time in the evenings, Makoto loved helping her with whatever homework she had assigned, and after, playing a board game or helping Junko do some chores was a great end to the night. 

“Where’s Hikaru?” Makoto asked, poking his head into the kitchen where Junko was just starting dinner. He always got back later than the little girl, as the school was so close. 

Junko shrugged. “Maybe she went home today. Every once in a while she’ll do that, especially when the weather’s nice.”

It had been a pretty cool and grey day, and they both turned towards the window to see that rain had started streaming down the glass. 

“Or maybe she’s just late.”

Makoto nodded, common sense telling him to give it a little while longer while he fixed himself a cup of tea, grabbed the daily news, and sat back in a kitchen chair. 

 

After a little while had passed, and just as Makoto was about to voice his concerns--sure, the town was safe and all, but anything could happen, especially--he heard the front door slam open. “My poster board!” 

Within another second, the kitchen was filled with the voice of the usual third member of their little crew. “Granny!” Hikaru shouted, spreading out a blank paper on the kitchen table. “I need all of your craft supplies!”

“Calm down. And take off your jacket--you’re dripping everywhere,” Junko scolded. The girl scowled, but did as she was told, hanging her jacket, hat, and bag on the hook by the back door. At least she’d left her umbrella outside where it was supposed to be. “I’m glad I took that dog outside before this started. It’s really coming down now.”

At the mention, the dog stood up, coming out from under the table with a jingle of his collar. Hikaru sat on the floor, beginning to pet and coo at him. 

“Now what’s this about craft supplies, dear?”

“Oh, right. I have to make a family tree for class. I got the poster board, but I need markers and paint and stuff.”

Junko stepped back from the counter, wiping her hands on a towel and looked down at the girl. “If it’s paint you need, shouldn’t you be talking to your dad?”

“Daddy’s paints are too fancy. Plus I want it to be a surprise for him! I’ve gotta turn it in on Monday, but I wanna be done before Friday so he can see it at the dinner.”

“Won’t you need pictures?” Makoto piped up, as usual, finding Hikaru more interesting than the news.

She shook her head. “Uh uh! Teacher said we can draw if we wanna, and I think daddy would really like it if I drew the people, too.”

“I’m sure he would.” Junko smiled. “Well, if you only have two days for your plan, I guess I have to help. Come help me get the boxes down. Makoto, would you watch the pot?”

 

Hikaru was definitely a better artist than Makoto had been at seven. Heck, she was probably better than he was now. She’d asked for his help, but he didn’t really know what he could do other than cut out some leaves that were vaguely leaf-shaped and hand her new markers when she needed another colour. 

The actual tree part of it was done in no time, and, on separate squares of white paper, Hikaru had made frame-like outlines around where she would draw the people. “But that’s for tomorrow,” Junko said firmly. Dinner time wasn’t negotiable. 

After Hikaru cleared the big paper from the table, Makoto watched her count the white squares. “Who all do you have to draw?” he asked. The way Junko had put it, Makoto thought she didn’t have anyone but her dad and ‘granny,’ but there were definitely more than just a few squares. 

Junko brought plates to the table as she ran the names off. “Well, there’s me of course, and then daddy.” In between words and bites, she started to organize them on the table. “And granny and the dog--”

“Don’t put the dog in your family tree,” Junko said.

“Teacher said pets were fine!” she pouted. Junko just gave a sigh, and Hikaru went right back to her list. “Next are my real grandparents. I only met them twice, but I remember what they look like and they send me birthday cards every year, so I’ve gotta put them on.”

Makoto listened intently as he ate, noticing that she still had a few more squares. He was glad that Hikaru seemed to have more people around than he’d originally thought.

“And then my uncles,” she said, looking up at Makoto. “They’re not my real uncles, just daddy’s best friend and his friend, but that’s what daddy told me to call them. They live far away, so I don’t see them a lot either, but we call on the computer a lot.” She placed the cards down next to the card she said was her dad’s. “And finally, the newest addition to my family, Makoto!” she said with a smile, before looking down at her hands and mumbling “if that’s okay with you.”

“Oh, yeah, if you want to, that’s perfectly fine.” He said with a smile. If that was how Hikaru felt, then Makoto was happy. Although he taught kids all day, he missed the kind of relationship that he’d had with his brother and sister when they were young. He’d wanted kids of his own pretty much all of his life, but that seemed...quite far off the table. Being able to spend time with Hikaru was the best thing he could have hoped for. 

\--

The next day when Makoto got back, Hikaru was already spread out on the ground in the front hall, coloring the white squares of paper and gluing them on the appropriate areas on the tree. “I ran home today so I could get an earlier start,” she explained without looking up from her work. 

Makoto crouched down next to her to get a better look. There were already two pictures attached to the tree, and although Hikaru wasn’t as talented at drawing people as she had been drawing the tree and background, it was still easy to tell that one of the pictures was a self portrait. The other was a man with glasses, grey-ish hair, and blue eyes like her own. Makoto had a good idea of who the man was, and his guess was proved correct when he noticed the label reading ‘dad’ beneath it. “Who are you drawing now?”

“My grandpa,” she said simply. Makoto smiled and stood back up, leaving the artist to her work.

After dinner, Hikaru decided to stay a little while longer to finish as much of the poster as she could. Makoto tried to help, but he found himself getting in the way more than anything, so he decided to simply return to his apartment for the night.

He walked in to hear his phone just finish ringing and practically sprinted to his bedroom to get it. It wasn’t often that his friends communicated through anything other than text, so when he got a call, it was usually from his mom. 

This time, however, he saw as he grabbed his phone, Rin had called. 

That wasn’t normal. Makoto immediately called back. 

“Hey Makoto.”

“Is everything okay, Rin? You don’t usually call.”

“Oh, yeah everything’s good on my end. How’s your new situation?”

“Honestly, I’m kind of regretting not getting out of Tokyo sooner. It’s pretty awesome here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean my job is kind of the same, but the atmosphere is like being back in Iwatobi. Everyone’s really laid back, and there’s not that nagging feeling of being rushed that I always had.”

“Well that’s good.”

There was silence for a few moments. Though they communicated quite often through text and email, phone conversations weren’t something they excelled at with each other. “So…”

“Have you heard from Haru?”

“What?”

“I, uh…he told me he got a text from you.”

“Oh.” That was unexpected. Though Makoto had kind of figured Rin still heard from Haru occasionally, he didn’t think they’d talk enough for him to know things like that. “I’m glad to hear he got it. I kind of thought he’d changed his number a while ago. Do you...hear from him often?”

“Every once in a while,” Rin said. He had always been a horrible liar. “Listen, Makoto, this isn’t about me. Haru’s just scared about talking to you again. Even though I told him you wouldn’t tear him a new one.”

“Probably not.”

“Makoto.”

“It’s been ten years, since I’ve seen him, Rin! And seven since he’s last replied to me, even though, apparently, he still has his old number and reads his texts.”

“You seem just a little bitter.”

“Yeah, a little.”

“Look, I get it. You were in love with him--”

“Rin!”

“--But he does miss you. And he wants to see you, but...well, it’s not my place to tell. You’ve been patient so far, what’s a while longer?”

Makoto sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But if you have a line open with him…”

“He knows I’m talking to you about this. I’ll let him know that you’re not mad or anything, just that you’d like to see him again. Good?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos, comments, criticism, and questions are greatly appreciated!
> 
> If you want anything else written, I take drabble/short story requests at ask-makotoharu.tumblr.com or even leave a request in the comments that'd be cool too! I really need to write more and force myself to write different things!
> 
> Also!! I'm really wanting to rp and I'm looking for someone to be the (insert character here) to my Haru. Like I really don't care about the pairing. Anyone is good. Or if you want to do an OC rp that would also be great just hit me up at either the tumblr up there or at my main: hongbinniebaby.tumblr.com. I swear I'm friendly and I'll be prompt in answering and everything.


End file.
